11/6/08

Guatemala: The Kabiles as Peacekeepers in the Congo

'Guatemala: The Kabiles as Peacekeepers in the Congo' by Renata Avila

The Kabiles are soldiers in the Guatemalan Army that undergo a specialized, yet controversial training at a school in the northern part of the country, nicknamed "Hell". Many Guatemalans reject the abusive training that the Kabiles receive, which some say, closely resembles self-inflicted torture. It is often difficult to fathom why such methods are necessary, as described by blogger Statchka [es] when he details "Black Week of a Kabil". He explains that they are even forced to drink animals blood to survive.

One point of their Decalogue had been: "The Kaibil is a killing machine." In the past, many of the soldiers have been involved in counter-insurgency operations, but also some have been accused of human-rights violations, but now they are mainly involved with anti-crime duties. In addition, the Kabiles have also been sent as Peacekeepers in the Congo, where 72 Guatemalans are currently on the front line in the city of Goma.

Due to their training instructions, Patrick from GNS Blog pointed out, such a mandate of Peace seems in conflict with their motto:

After all, the infamous Kaibil creed of: &quot;If I go forward, follow me. If I stop, urge me on. If I turn back, kill me&quot;, seems to kind of jar with the traditional peacekeeper approach.

An admirer of the Kabiles, Perspectiva Militar [es], who is also a member of the Guatemalan Army detailed the training that takes place before the mission in the Congo or wherever else they might go. He explained the process of sending the Kaibiles to the Special UN Forces and how they say goodbye to their families, on his blog post Kaibiles to the Congo, Africa [es]. Here they have faced dangers, as in 2006, 8 of them died in an armed operations in the Congo [es].

Many wonder why members of the Guatemalan army, who have historically had a poor reputation in the area of human rights, are now being considered for the role of peacekeepers. As the situation in the Congo is going from bad to worse, where human rights abuses like rape has been used as a weapon, the Kabiles are still being sent to the front line. The Kabiles come from a country that face a similar war-like setting, where women suffer the consequences of past and present conflicts. However, Journalist Allan Nairn is optimistic about the peacekeeping mission and pointed out on his blog that the new surroundings can alter behaviour, and it differs greatly from political killings:

The other night a Mayan survivor remarked that there are Kaibiles in the Congo. They're a special unit of US-trained Guatemalan troops officially called &quot;The Messengers of Death,&quot; but he noted that recently eight of them were ambushed and died themselves in that faraway land.

The poor Kaibil killers must not have known what hit them, since, on the road, away from home, they were in the Congo under actual legal constraint, as peacekeeping troops of the United Nations. It's a similar story with Indonesian troops, now deployed as UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. Back home, unbound by law, they kill civilians, but, away -- where that would cause problems -- such behavior is banned, and, generally, despite their past record, they don't go around murdering people (rape is another matter; its a problem of men in armies most everywhere, and UN troop assignments vary: In Haiti, it has included repression).

It's not the man, its the mission. Political killers are not killing machines. They are human components of killing machines, and if the machine setting is switched from &quot;kill&quot; to &quot;don't kill,&quot; as trained people, they do tend to comply.

But why are members of the Guatemalan Army in the Congo? Albedrío [es] may have the answer:

The underlying issue is that Guatemalan soldiers are being used to go the most dangerous areas because, according to multiple sources of information, they are considered to be experienced and cheap, like their Salvadoran counterparts. In other words, Guatemala exports quasi-mercenary soldiers for wars that countries that are benefiting from the exploitation of natural resources do not want to take on. The benefits yes, the human and political costs, no.

2 comments:

I find it very disturbing that highly trained human rights violators, who may have been involved in some of the worst massacres in Guatemalan history are busy being so called "peacekeepers" in the Congo, where rape is the highest on earth. Not only are women and girls raped, but mutilated beyond belief and most men could care less! These poor women are then rejected by their families as tainted and so they must survive alone, viciously wounded, often caring the children of rapers. How can this be peace? I know for a fact that UN Peacekeepers have been raping and killing in many places like Haiti and Bosnia. It is known that so called Peacekeepers traded food for sex with children in the Congo, so why not rape? Sex with children IS rape! No wonder we never find peace on this ailing and endangered Earth with idiots minimizing TRAINED rapers and mutilators of women and children. I am sick with the burden of knowing all this and seeing that those most impacted by war and genocide, women and children STILL have absolutely NO VOICE about their fates and survival. These men who are death squads are death squads no matter where on earth they are. I believe they have influenced and shaped the growing rates of rape and mutilation in the Congo. In Guatemala to this day, thousands of women and girls are tortured, raped and murdered, as they are in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and all over the amerikkkas. Women are punished for being raped. Most men do not even have a concept of true justice or all these crimes against humanity in the name of greed and profit would have ceased long ago. When will true conscience prevail? When will the plight of the most voiceless be addressed? When will there ever be a joint effort to create a healthy future for all children? I fear we have yet to see just how far US trained Kaibile death squad peacekeepers will go. They will be doing their dirty deeds all too soon in the comfort zones of the US. How shameful this all is. I am deeply shamed by the behavior of human beings in these times of utmost crisis. My heart is heavy........

I find it very disturbing that highly trained human rights violators, who may have been involved in some of the worst massacres in Guatemalan history are busy being so called "peacekeepers" in the Congo, where rape is the highest on earth. Not only are women and girls raped, but mutilated beyond belief and most men could care less! These poor women are then rejected by their families as tainted and so they must survive alone, viciously wounded, often caring the children of rapers. How can this be peace? I know for a fact that UN Peacekeepers have been raping and killing in many places like Haiti and Bosnia. It is known that so called Peacekeepers traded food for sex with children in the Congo, so why not rape? Sex with children IS rape! No wonder we never find peace on this ailing and endangered Earth with idiots minimizing TRAINED rapers and mutilators of women and children. I am sick with the burden of knowing all this and seeing that those most impacted by war and genocide, women and children STILL have absolutely NO VOICE about their fates and survival. These men who are death squads are death squads no matter where on earth they are. I believe they have influenced and shaped the growing rates of rape and mutilation in the Congo. In Guatemala to this day, thousands of women and girls are tortured, raped and murdered, as they are in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and all over the amerikkkas. Women are punished for being raped. Most men do not even have a concept of true justice or all these crimes against humanity in the name of greed and profit would have ceased long ago. When will true conscience prevail? When will the plight of the most voiceless be addressed? When will there ever be a joint effort to create a healthy future for all children? I fear we have yet to see just how far US trained Kaibile death squad peacekeepers will go. They will be doing their dirty deeds all too soon in the comfort zones of the US. How shameful this all is. I am deeply shamed by the behavior of human beings in these times of utmost crisis. My heart is heavy........